Bullets & Chocolate
by Nabi-Jinju
Summary: His addiction was chocolate, hers was putting bullets into things. She became his most valuable asset and in return, he became her safe haven. And his mission in life would finally give her a reason to live. MelloXOC
1. Chapter 1: Thunderstorms

I knew it was embarassing to cry in front of people, especially the people who teased me. Showing emotion to them meant I was weak and I was vulnerable. But I just couldn't help it. It hurt too much this time and I didn't have enough strength to make it to my room. So there I sat, on the floor of a hallway in Wammy's orphanage, crying miserably as two girls stood above me, saying mean things to me.

"You're such a freak!"

"Yeah. Why do you like playing with boy's toys? Are you a boy?"

"And you're just ugly!"

I had always been told, by my mom and L and Roger, that when other people said mean things about you, it was because they were jealous. That or they were so uncomfortable with themselves that they took it out on other people.

A few other kids that started climbing the stairs stopped and watched as the girls continued taunting me. One of the girls suddenly pulled my hair, forcing a whimper out of my lips.

"Look at her hair color. It's so bland and icky!"

"Rachel, Anna." The girls stopped and stepped away from me as the rest of the kids watched in interest. I looked up to see a blonde boy walking closer to me, one hand in his pocket while the other held a chocolate bar, bite marks in one of the exposed corners.

"Hi Mello," Rachel said, a goofy grin on her face. Anna was also smiling but not as much, knowing her best friend had already called dibs on the boy. Of course, it was a rule between girls that you would never go for a guy that had the attention of your higher ups. Anna was just being a good girl and following that rule.

"What're you doing?" Mello asked nonchalantly, taking another bite of chocolate, his eyes lingering over me. I wiped my eyes, sniffing as I stayed situated on the floor, not daring to move.

"We were just talking," Rachel responded as if it was that obvious and not such a big deal. Anna nodded furiously behind her.

"When did pulling someone's hair turn into talking?" Rachel and Anna gaped at him. Suddenly, Rachel's eyes darted to me, glaring hard. I didn't flinch but looked down at the floor, wishing I could disappear or just run away.

"Well, she deserved it!"

"Yeah. We were gonna invite her to play with us but she was too busy messing with a dart gun."

"Seriously, Mello. Girls don't play with guns. They're dangerous and only boys play with them." I opened my eyes, feeling a new set of tears coming. Before I could hear another word or get involved anymore, I sprung up and darted past all the kids, down the stairs, past a bewildered Roger and out into the pouring rain. I ran far that I almost reached a wooded area behind the orphanage that was strictly off limits to us. Out of breath and tired, I slumped to the ground, laying in the wet and muddy grass, just breathing.

"Mommy," I whispered, clutching a handful of grass, "I wish you were here. I hate it here. I wanna go home and live with you and daddy." Lightning flashed through the sky before a low rumble of thunder sounded in the sky. I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering why I decided to run outside when there was a thunder storm. I hated thunder storms. I just-

"Damn!" My eyes snapped open and I rolled over onto my stomach to see Mello, hands on his knees as he hunched over and took in deep breaths. He was soaked from the rain that was still coming down but that didn't seem to faze him as he picked his head up to stare at me.

"Why're you here?" I asked, standing up and walking towards him, holding my hands close to my chest. I had a feeling that I should at least reach out and see if he was okay but part of me was scared to even try and make contact with him.

"Damn, you run fast," Mello panted out, standing up straight before plopping down onto the ground, laying spread eagle in the wet grass and mud. I stared, wide eyed as he just laid there, still taking in deep breaths, his eyes closed as the rain pelted against his face.

"What do you want, Mello?" I asked, sitting down close to him and watching him. It was odd. I had seen Mello around the orphanage and also heard him. He played soccer outside on nice days and after he finished taking tests, he always managed to complain about his test score being lower than Near's. We had never actually interacted, though. Actually, I had never really interacted with any of the kids in the orphanage. I just couldn't find them to be good friends or even acquaintences. So, I stuck to myself.

Mello took in a deep breath before sitting up, looking at me with interest, "I came to check if you were okay. I mean, you did run out into a thunder storm." And just as he finished saying that, a streak of lightning lit up the sky and a loud rumble of thunder sounded across the sky. I jumped and curled into a ball, whimpering and praying that the storm would just end. The rain I could handle but everything else scared me to death.

Instantly, someone wrapped their arms around my body, pulling me into warmth. My eyes snapped open and I stared up at Mello who was looking down at me in wonder and worry. My hands which had been pressed into my body suddenly gripped onto Mello's soaked shirt as I pressed my face into his body.

"What's wrong with you?" Mello asked, holding me even tighter as I started to shake. My body was getting cold as what little warmth he had stored mixed with the cold rain that continued to pelt down on us.

"I don't like thunder storms," I squeaked out, opening my eyes only to see another flash of lightning. My eyes quickly shut again as I whimpered.

Mello let out a low chuckle, which made my heart sink a little. Once again, I had let some of my emotion slip. "So why did you run out into a thunderstorm?"

I opened my eyes and looked up at Mello, anger building up in me. He was teasing me, just like Rachel and Anna. I began pushing away from him, trying to get some distance between us. He caught onto that and let his arms unwind from my body as I pulled away from him, a glare situated on my face. Automatically, he sent a glare back.

"Why're you glaring at me? I was trying to help you," he said, a growl in his throat.

"You were laughing at me because I'm weak," I said, tears pricking my eyes as I stared at the one person, besides Roger, who at least tried to make some sort of contact with me.

Mello's glare died immediately into confusion as he pulled a small piece of chocolate from his pocket. He turned his gaze away from me, looking at the ground as he unwrapped the chocolate. He took a bite and chewed slowly, messing with a blade of grass. "You thought I was making fun of you?"

"Why else would you laugh?" I asked, wiping my eyes. The rain had started to die down a bit, coming down in a sprinkle. I was soaked and muddy but at the moment, I really didn't care.

Mello looked up at me, holding out the other half of the chocolate bar he had. "Because you're cute. I think it's funny how cute you are." He had said it like it was nothing. But I did manage to see the slight blush that was on his cheek as he still held the chocolate. I cautiously took the other half and bit off a little piece as Mello watched me.

"You think I'm cute?"

His eyes widened as a visible blush covered his cheeks before he looked down at the ground again, pulling out a blade of grass. "Yeah," he mumbled.

"Are you joking with me, again?" I quickly shoved the chocolate into my mouth and then stood up, staring at him. Mello looked up in shock before he stood up, a confident look on his face. He stared hard at me before unknotting his eyebrows.

"I'm not joking. You're…different than the other kids." I felt my stomach drop as he said that. Great, another person who thought I was different. "I like it."

Our gazes met, his blue eyes connecting with my dull hazel eyes. I could see, him still scrutinizing me but in a good way. I wasn't being judged…just figured out, like a puzzle. I couldn't help but do the same. Mello was different, like me. He hung out with the other kids but he never actually seemed to really interact with them.

The rain had officially turned into a mist like state but there was still slight traces of lightning. I was the first to break the stare we had by looking down at my hands. But another hand reached out and grabbed a hold of one of mine, the warm skin comforting my body. I looked up to Mello, seeing him look at both my eyes before he looked down at our hands.

"We should go inside. You're gonna catch a cold." I nodded, applying some pressure to his hand so that I wasn't slacking anymore. Without another glance, Mello pulled me back towards the orphanage where Roger was running out with an umbrella. He looked in a state of fright but calmed down as he spotted Mello and I together.

"Aly, you scared us, dear. Please, don't run out into a storm like that again," he said, holding the umbrella over Mello and I. "And thank you, Mello, for going to find her." Mello scoffed and stuffed his free hand into his pocket. He didn't let go of my hand, though. In fact, he squeezed it a little tighter as Roger led us into the house. A few of the kids stared at Mello in confusion as we walked upstairs, our clothes dripping water onto the floor.

We got up to the floor where my room was at first and Mello walked me all the way to my room. I was one of the lucky ones that had a room to myself.

"Don't run off like that again, okay? I probably won't be there next time if there's a thunderstorm." I blushed as he said that, wondering why in the first place I did that. He then squeezed my hand one last time before he let go and walked to his room, his sneakers squeaking with water. I giggled quietly before walking into my room, happy that my room was nice and toasty. The chocolate that was left in my mouth suddenly tasted like hot chocolate and I couldn't help but smile. It felt warm and familiar. Just like when I would pick up a gun and hit my target dead center.


	2. Chapter 2: It's Gonna Kill Me

"What?!" I stared at Mello, my eyes wide as he jammed his clothes into a bag. His eyes were hard and full of anger, his motions quick and deadly. I stood in the doorway to his room, scared to take a step close to him but scared to leave him by himself.

"L is dead. He didn't choose either of us and I sure as hell won't work with Near," he growled out, zipping up the bag forcefully. I looked down at the ground before falling onto my butt, staring at the wood floor. L…was gone. He couldn't be. He was L. But that meant that Kira had killed him. How? He was L!

"Aly?" I looked up to see Mello staring at me in concern, the anger gone from his face. I just stared blankly.

"He can't be dead," I whispered. Mello dropped his bag on the floor before walking towards me, closing the door and sitting down next to me, taking my face into his hands. An unknown tear escaped from my eyes and landed on his thumb as he stared at me.

"I don't wanna believe it either but he is. Kira killed him," Mellow growled, anger returning to his face. I felt my heart break as I fell into Mello's body, wrapping my arms around his neck and sobbing quietly. L had been like a father to me when he would come to visit. He took care of me and spoiled me like nobody else could or would do. Now, it felt like someone else had left me. It hurt.

"What happens now?" I asked, pulling away and wiping my eyes. Mello looked at me in concern before looking back at his bag, his eyes blazing with thought.

"I'm leaving. Roger says I should partner up with Near." He banged his fist on the floor, making me jump. I had seen Mello angry but this was bad. He was gnashing his teeth together, his eyes now burning with anger as his fists turned a pale white. "I wouldn't work with Near if we were the last two people on Earth."

"Where are you going?" I asked, worry in my voice. Ever since that day that Mello chased me into the rain, we had a tendency to stick together a lot more often. When Rachel and Anna picked on me, Mello or Matt, my other new friend, stepped in and pulled me out to hang with them. It wasn't that I couldn't defend myself. It was just that the only way I could truly defend myself was by use of a hand held weapon, preferably a gun. I hated having to actually use physical strength to fight. A gun with bullets was the best way to defend myself. But if anyone would ever actually try to hurt me physically, Mello and Matt stepped up to be my fists and my shields. I owed them both so much. And with that came worry whenever they were thinking of doing something that would most likely get them in trouble or hurt.

"America. I'll try to make some connections with the mobs there and I'll kill Kira that way. And this time, I'll do it better and faster than Near."

I stared wide eyed, my heart dropping. America? The mobs?!

"Mello…" He turned back around and gripped my hands, his eyes looking down to the ground.

"At least come with me. There's nothing here for you and I know you can't survive without me." My breathing stopped as I stared at him.

"What did you say?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together as I pulled away from him. He stared in surprise and confusion as I stood up, looking down at him. "Did you just say I can't survive without you?"

Mello's features lightened as he stood up as well, stuffing a hand into his leather pants while the other reached out to lay gently on my cheek. I pulled away, though, my face contorted in anger. Mello once again looked shocked before it turned to annoyance. "It's not like it's a lie."

"For your information, Mello, I can survive without you."

"I'd like to see you try. You can't stand up for yourself. If I remember right, Matt and I are always getting you out of trouble."

"Well I never asked you to!"

Mello advanced on me, pressing my back into the wall as he grabbed my arms, his face inches away from mine. "Why can't you just be accepting about it. You need me. And anyways, you owe me," he whispered, his voice lowering harshly. I stared wide eyed at him, the only thought going through my mind on how close he was to me. Never in the time we had been hanging out had he gotten this close. His breath was tickling my lips and I could taste chocolate.

"Mello," I whispered, my eyes darting up to his. The annoyance and anger left his eyes as he stared at me, his blue eyes confused.

"Admit it," he mumbled, leaning closer to my face.

"What?" I asked, my eyes drooping as his nose touched mine. It was scary, him being this close. But it also felt safe.

"You need me. You owe me." His breath fanned across my face as his body pressed lightly against mine, his hands releasing my arms to rest on the wall above my shoulders.

"Mello," I whimpered, my fingers grasping onto his long, sleeve shirt.

"Say it," he urged, a smile gracing his lips as he drew closer.

"I…" And then my eyes snapped open, realizing what was going on. Never had Mello and I been this close. Or at least, not this close with these intentions. We weren't like this. No, this couldn't be happening. Sure I had probably been and still am attracted to Mello but…this was too fast. We were only fifteen or at least, close to being fifteen. We couldn't be like this…we just...couldn't...

I quickly inhaled a large gulp of breath, tasing chocolate once more, as I ducked under the little room Mello had left open and backed away from him, my face burning hot as Mello turned around, a confused, annoying and angry look on his face.

"When are you leaving?" I asked, trying to change the subject and calm down my racing heart. Mello inhaled deeply before standing up straight and walking towards me. I backed up and fell down on his bed, my heart racing even faster, as if it was going to burst from my chest. Mello just stared in confusion as he stopped and bent down to pick up his bag.

"Now," he stated bitterly, swinging the bag over his shoulder as he turned towards the door. My heart was racing again but not from any hormonal emotions. He really was leaving. My heart started hurting again. He couldn't leave. I felt selfish wanting to keep him here but...he was my friend. I wouldn't survive without him. He was right.

"Mello!" I called, sitting up on his bed, staring wide eyed at his back. He stopped and only let his head turn sideways, glancing at me. I couldn't read him at all. He seemed as if he had some hope but at the same time, anger. I sighed, looking down at the ground, "You're really leaving."

I knew he was serious. After knowing him for close to eight years and hanging out with him for the majority of the time I was at the orphanage, I never really needed to double check with him. He never changed his mind and this time was no exception either. And as much as I could try, not even I would be able to change his mind.

Mello nodded his head curtly, his eyes turning down to the ground, "Maybe one day we'll meet up again."

My head snapped up, staring wide eyed at his form. No. I…he… That meant-

"Goodbye, Aly." And just like that, he grabbed the doorknob and pulled it along with him, shutting it quietly and cutting off my view of him. And just like that, tears began sliding down my cheeks as I burst into sobs. It hurt so much. How would I be able to survive like this?

*Three Hours Later*

I sat back, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. The chair wasn't comfy like I hoped but at least I was able to finally relax. I needed a good nap. Crying so much really did take away your energy.

"Move your legs." I opened my eyes and stared up at the person who addressed me, a slight glare forming on my face. It dropped, though, as the person standing over me glared back. Turning my head down, I pulled my legs closer to the chair as he passed by me, taking a seat next on my left. Another person sat on the other empty seat to my right, closing his eyes and laying his head back.

"I like your goggles, Matt," I said, poking the lens, a small smile crawling across my face. One eye opened as he stared at me, a small smile making its way to his face as well.

"I like what you've done with your hair," Matt said, taking a strand of my newly, dyed dull blonde hair and tugging on it gently. Yes, I had dyed my hair blonde. Why blonde, I'm not sure. The color on the box looked extremely nice but unfortunately, the color turned out to be a little duller than I thought. Okay, a lot duller but still, it actually looked way better than I thought it would. Why did I dye it, though? Well…

"Matt." We both turned to left to look at our last counterpart who was sitting, staring out the window. He looked deep in thought and a little tense. "Get some sleep."

Matt sighed, scratching the back of his neck, "Alright. Damn, I need a smoke," he mumbled. I sighed and sat back again, taking in deep breaths. The last time I had been on a plane was when Roger had brought me back to the orphanage. And the first time hadn't been so good. Really bad turbulence, lightning and the fact that I had to sit next to the window and watch as the plane shook didn't put me at ease. I couldn't believe I was getting back on. I can't believe he was able to make me change my mind that easy. I really was dependent on him. And I knew that one day, it would kill me.

"You too, Aly," he said, leaning against the window of the plane. I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head on Matt's shoulder, a faint scent of cigarette smoke lingering on his jacket.

"Good night, Mello," I mumbled, slowly falling into a deep sleep.

I would never see the look of longing and pain on Mello's face as he whispered back, "Night, Aly."

* * *

Nabi-Jinju says: Hi everyone. I'm really sorry about how I'm really bad at updating. In all honesty, it sometimes takes me a while to get parts of my stories onto the computer. Not to mention my laptop has a tendency to crash because I think there's a virus and I'm not allowed to buy a new computer :( So sometimes I'm forced to wipe my computer's memory and restore it to it's original factory setting which means taking up time to restore my Internet connection and getting all my stuff ready again. I really will try, though. I will warn you now, my stories maybe be put on hold due to the fact that it is my junior year and I do have SATs coming up as well as a bunch of other clubs that I'm associated with and my Korean school. And let's not forget the drama that comes with having friends. We're all having a really hard time and it's taking a while to sort everything out so I really hope you will forgive me and just be patient. I love writing stories for people to enjoy and I really appreciate all the feedback that I get. You guys are really kind and very motivational. ^.^

So once again, I will do my best to update and make new stories. I probably will start making one shots since they're really fun and a lot easier to get on instead of doing long stories. I'm also thinking of starting a modern Bleach story so we'll see how that goes. Also, I love taking requests to make stories. So if you have an idea and want to make it into a story, just let me know and I would be more than happy to write a story. Thank you again for your reviews. (I don't require them or ask for them because, hey, I don't even review the stories I read so why should I become a hypocrite?) Have a good day :D


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